Rail bosses say sorry with a spruce-up at village station

Artist Grant Dejonge who has been commissioned to paint a mural at Plumpton Station SUS-160722-155449001

Sarah Page

Published:16:21Friday 22 July 2016

Share this article

Plumpton Station - at the centre of a months-long dispute over its level crossing - is to get a facelift.

Network Rail is to spruce up the waiting area and platform and has commissioned a mural to be painted around an old concrete hut next to the station.

The works are being seen as an ‘apology’ by Network Rail after a road by the station’s level crossing was shut for months during a wrange over whether some historic level crossing gates could be replaced with modern barriers.

Now landscape artist Grant Dejonge, who lives in Plumpton, has been commissioned to create the mural and says he plans to include local landmarks in the 360-degree panoramic artwork which he aims to have finished by September.

The finished piece will cover all four walls thus wrapping the building from all four sides in a panorama of the South Downs.

Grant, 48, who runs his own art business as welll as running a small building firm, already has one mural in the village - on the side of the Half Moon pub.

He said: “I hope to have the mural finished by September at the start of the Brighton Art Fair.”

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We realise that the people of Plumpton endured a difficult time late last year while we worked to replace the level crossing near the station.

“We are now working with operator Southern on several improvements to the station, including work to upgrade the waiting room.

“In addition, local artist Grant Dejonge is helping us improve the look of an old concrete hut next to the station with a lovely mural and we are working with a local gardening group to improve the look of the station.”